The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-27
HE FORGOT THE ORDER.
An Allegheny Mountain Recluse Tells
His Brief StorJ--.
From the PittsbtuG D.uotch.

His Brief Stor-:-.
From, the PittsJtuG D.uGtch.
Up on the slope Of tie Allegheny Noun
t;.ins, four or five miles from Uniontowl
and Only few steps off the line of the old
Cumberland pike, is a little plain board
cabin set so far back among the rocks and
+roas that it cannot be seen more than q
hundred wards away. A reporter rambling
n,,a- the mountains last week stumbled ali
1rexnectedly upon the secluded dwelling.
Tho occupant was sitting i'll homemade
hammock Just outside the door, adjusting a
fish line to pretty jointed rod. A daily
naper lay on the ground at his feet He
was young man, not more than thirty
wears of age, but his hair and mouStache
we're as white as silver and there was an ex-
nression of sadness on his face which seemed
r. be habitual His clothing was old and
worn. but it was we'll kept and neat for all
that and it was worn with a grace that is
not born in the mountain districts.
He welcomed his visitor as heartily as
though he had known him for years, and
his invitation to take seat and rest almost
amounted to a command. During the course
If the two hours conversation which fol
lowed he told the sad story of his life and
fine combination of circumstances which led
away into the mountain by himself
Il used to live in Pittsburg, he said, land
Won are the first man from there that have
met for five years. 1t doesn't make any
difference what my name is. have rela-
tiyes living and it is better they should not
know where | am. You want to know what
made my hair SO gray and why am living
here! Well, | don't mind telling you, al
though I've been trying for ten years or
more to forget it all.
Il was raised and educated in Pittsburg.
| learned telegraphy in the Western Union
office and when not yet 20 years of age was
nut in charge of an office on q railroad out
in Ohio. 1t doesn't make any difference
what Office it was or what road it was on, il
was an Office and rather important one at
that. | hadn't been in my position more
than six weeks when l fell desperately in
love with a girl who lived onlya block from
nv office The attachment was mutual and
when six weeks had heightened into six
months we were engaged. One night-lt
was in February, 1S77-I had been to see my
sweetheart and about midnight was sitting
in my office thinking of the coming we'd
ding, and feeling as happy as any young
man with bright prospects ahead of him
could feel when word came over the wires
that a special freight was coming over the
main track westward. 1t was still 30 miles
away and, after recording the fact that ii
was coming, my thoughts required to the
little girl down the street.
"Ten minutes later the conductor of the
east-bound express came in for orders. All
right, Bill said, as l glanced up and saw
him, and a minute later he was on his train
speeding away at 25-mile-an-hour gait.
The rear lights were scarcely out of. sight
when | happened to look at my desk. There
was nothing there but my instrument and a
bit of paper, but that bit of paper was
enough. There, in plain letters, were the
words | had written not more than quar-
ter of an hour before: Extra freight; tell
Bill to side-track.' The express had to side
track, yoa know, because the switches were
not long enough for freights My hair fairly
stood on end. There was that freight train
coming on with full steam, with the express
going TO meet it at the rate of p miles an
hour fell back in my chair and the cold
perspiration broke out all over me. Then
grasped the key to my instrument and called
in succession all the offices intervening be-
tween the two trains. They were all day
Offices and the operators had gone home
hours before The clicking of the instru-
ment sounded to my excited imagination as
loud as the discharge of cannons. For five
minutes | called, in the desperate hope that
some one would hear me in time to stop the
express. But it was no use; every office was
closed.
Il dropped the key and ran down stairs
and out on the track / think had a wild
hope that | could overtake the express, but
as l got into the air l realized the folly OF
the most utter despair | returned to the office
and dropped into chair. But | couldn't
sit still. The instrument on the desk seemed
to mock me and the air i'll the office seemed
sitting. walked out on the track again
and walked back and forth on the crosstieS
waiting for the result. / knew it must
come and instinctively stayed within hear
ing distance of the instrument. 1t seemed
an age but in reality it wasn't more thar
half an hour till the sounder clicked and
ran upstairs, hoping against hope that some
lucky circumstance had averted a disaster
was SO nervous that | could scarcely hold
the key to answer Then ! laid back and
waited as the Instrument clicKSc~ shat
seemed to me to be my death sentence
Express and freight collided. Nineteen
killed; many injured.
Two weeks later | regained my senses.
| had been lowering around between life
and death during the interval, and | was
still so weak that l could scarcely move q
finger. But l recovered rapidly and Their
they told me the awful details. Both en-
gineers and the conductor of the passenger
train, as well as IS passengers, had been
killed. The list of injured ran up to nearly
50. The trains had met on curve and the
passenger had been thrown over an EN-
banllment so feet high. The Coroner's jury
had heard all the details and exonerated me
although, | tell you now, l would rather al
that time they had hung me- All through
my sickness my sweetheart watched ovel
me and nursed me, and when recovered
she was kindness and consideration it
self. But was in no mood for love-mak
ing.
As soon as / was able to leave the hos
pltal l went to Pittsburg, and from there
came out here, intending to stay month OF
50, till my nerves would get strong. stayed
all summer, and then it was so quiet anC
secluded here that built me this cabin aIC
I've been here ever since. How do live
Wen, had little money in the bank anc
p Doesn't cost much to live up here. WheI
the moneys all gone 1 reckon I'll be ready
togo myself. l go to Uniontown or Con
nellsville once Nm while, but outside o
those places have not been away from her,
Tor ten years"